He went on to explain that there are two problems with grilling on a fire escape. First, is it illegal to have a grill with an open flame so close to a residential property, and second, blocking a fire escape is a big problem. In fact, a fire escape being used for anything other than an emergency exit is against the law. That includes gardening.

What to do about that neighbor who grills on the fire escape in your building? Mr. Long suggested calling 911 if it’s an emergency or 311 to make a complaint. The FDNY has a fire safety Web page that has all kinds of brochures on fire safety including one specifically for summer.

About the Local

The Local provides news, information, entertainment and informed conversation about the things that matter to you, your neighbors and your family, from bloggers and citizens who live, work and create in your community. It is run by students and faculty of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to assure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards.

Get news about Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in our daily roundup, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s summer slate of youth-oriented programs and the third annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival coming to St. Joseph’s College in Clinton Hill.

In today’s daily post, you’ll find news on the spring opening of the Fort Greene Artisan Market, a Pratt Institute student artwork display at a Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan and a new recording studio in the nabe.

In this crime report, locals told police that their belongings were stolen from cars and trucks, their homes were burglarized and their bank accounts were used in unauthorized ways. Also, disputes between significant others resulted in violence and robberies last week. The trend of robberies on the B38 bus continued last week, with another incident on May 4 marking the tenth such robbery in the precinct this year so far.

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